Spirit of God descending like a dove, and Eighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my *beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. CHAP. IV. 1 Christ fasteth, and is tempted. 11 The angels minster unto him. 13 He dwelleth in Capernaum, 17 beginneth to preach, 18 on seth Peter, and Andrew, 21 James, and John: 23 and besiren the diseased. THEN was 'Jesus led up of the 'spirit into well pleased. JOHN, i. 32, 33: And John bare record, saying, I saw the spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. JoHN, i. 34: For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. ▾ JOHN, xii. 28: Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and wall glorify it again. W w Ps. ii. 7: I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Isa. xlii. 1: The words are under ver. 16. MAT. xii. 18: Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. MAT. Xvii. 5: Behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. MARK, i. 11: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. LUKE, ix. 35: There came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, hear him. EPH. i. 6: He hath made us accepted in the beloved. COL. i. 13: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. 2 PET. i. 17: For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. CHAP. IV. a MARK, i. 12, &c: And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness, &c. LUKE, iv. 1, &c: Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, &c. b1 KINGS, Xviii. 12: It shall come to pass, as soon as I am the later writer, who, in many instances, may be supposed to have received clearer light upon the same subject. On the other hand, when in the New Testament you meet with citations from the Old, always consult the original writer, that you may have the satisfaction of judging for yourselves how far the passage alleged makes for the argument which it is brought to support. It is incredible, to any one who has not, in some degree, made the experiment, what a proficiency may be made in that knowledge which maketh wise unto salvation, by studying the Scriptures in this manner, WITHOUT ANY OTHER COMMENTARY OR EXPOSITION THAN WHAT THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE SACRED VOLUME MUTUALLY FURNISH FOR EACH OTHER. I will not scruple to assert that the most illiterate Christian, if he can but read his English Bible, and will take the pains to read it in this manner, will not only attain all that practical knowledge which is necessary to his salvation, but, by God's blessing, he will become learned in every thing relating to his religion, in such a degree, that he will not be liable to be misled, either by the refined arguments, or the false assertions, of those who endeavour to ingraft their own opinion upon the Oracles of God. The Bible, thus studied, will indeed prove to be, what we Protestants esteem it, a certain and sufficient rule of faith and practice-a helmet of salvation, which alone may quench the fiery darts of the wicked." The authorities of the various renderings are uniformly given, except in a few instances where it was dubious. In whatever light the learned reader may estimate this portion of the work, it is presumed it may be useful to those who are not profound in classic lore. The learning, taste, and genius of many characters eminent for erudition, are here concentrated; and the unclassic Christian, in the possession of common sense, an honest heart, and the love of truth, will not consult this part of the work in vain. He will find in it the elucidation of many difficult, yet important, passages of Holy Writ. The introductory arguments and biographical sketches, the reconciliation of seeming contradictions, the meaning and pronunciation of the proper names, the index, tables, &c. are compiled from the best sources; and, it is hoped, will add to the general value of the book. This work is equally adapted to the closet, the family, and the pulpit. It has been thought advisable to print two editions; the one in quarto, the other in octavo. The quarto edition may, perhaps, be considered the more eligible for general and family reading; while the octavo size may be found more commodious for the student, or Preacher, on account of its portableness, as it may thus be more conveniently carried from place to place. To Ministers who preach extempore this work may be an useful companion in the pulpit, as well as in the study; indeed, it will be an invaluable assistant to all Ministers who study and compose their own sermons. The compiler is proceeding, without delay, with the Old Testament; and he trusts, when the whole is completed, it will form the most perfect Self-Interpreting Bible ever offered to the Christian world. This part of the work is now committed to the blessing of Heaven, and the candour of the public, with the hope that it may, in some degree, promote the glory of God, and the good of men. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO St. Matthew. ST. MATTHEW, an apostle and evangelist, son of Alpheus, was a Galilean by birth, a Jew by religion, and a Publican by profession (MARK, ii. 14; LUKE, v. 27). The other evangelists call him only Levi, which was his Hebrew name; but he always calls himself Matthew, which probably was his name as a Publican, or officer for gathering taxes. His usual abode was at Capernaum; and his office was out of the town, near the sea of Tiberias, where he appears to have collected the customs due upon commodities which were carried, and from persons who passed, over the sea. As he was sitting at the place where he received these customs, our Saviour commanded him to follow him. Matthew immediately obeyed; and from that time he became a constant attendant upon our Saviour, and was appointed one of the twelve apostles. It is generally agreed, upon the most satisfactory evidence, that St. Matthew's Gospel was the first that was written. In all the codes or volumes of the Gospels, and most ancient manuscripts, it is placed first; and the priority is given to it in the citations of the primitive fathers, and of the early sects. Of the several dates assigned to this Gospel which deserve any attention, the earliest is the year 38; and the latest, the year 64. Whether Matthew wrote his gospel in Hebrew or in Greek, is a point greatly contested by the critics. The presumption is strongly in favour of the latter. Greek was at that time the prevailing language, as not only the rest of the evangelists, but also the apostles, Peter, James, John, Jude, and Paul, wrote all their epistles in Greek, to Christians, Jews, and Gentiles, throughout the known world; and as Matthew's Gospel was intended for universal dissemination not less than theirs (MAT. xvi. 13; xxviii. 19.) it is unlikely that it was written in any other language than that employed by all the other writers of the New Testament. This is strongly confirmed by the numerous and remarkable instances of verbal agreement between him and the other evangelists; which, on the supposition that he wrote in Hebrew, or the vernacular, Syro-Chaldaic dialect, would not be credible. Even they who maintain that opinion, B |